Pitchers to Stack Against (9/7/16)

By Mark Dankenbring

Lineup stacking is one of the best ways to rack up a large amount of points and ensure yourself a spot in the money. For those of you unfamiliar with stacking, it refers to adding at least 3 or 4 players from the same offensive lineup into your daily lineup that day or evening. Most stacks tend to revolve around a weak opposing pitcher or a matchup that favors the offense. Therefore, let's take a look at what teams have favorable matchups ahead of them going into the weekend.

Wednesday

Kyle Gibson vs. Kansas City Royals

It's been a tough year for Gibson, as he holds a 5.31 ERA going into his 21st start of the season. After having a solid month of July, Gibson's ERA began to climb again in August, as he allowed seven home runs in the month which lead to an ERA of 6.62. One of those starts came at home against the Royals, which is the matchup he has tonight. In that start, Gibson allowed five earned runs over five innings, giving up 10 hits in the process. The Royals come in swinging hot bats, as they've scored 21 runs combined in the first two games at Target Field this series. Look for that for continue against Gibson tonight, as he's struggled at home all year, posting an ERA of 5.26 and allowing opposing batters a .305 average against him.

Thursday

Taijuan Walker vs. Texas Rangers

Since being called back up by the Mariners on August 23rd, Walker has had a rough go of it. Through three starts he's gone 0-3 with a 7.90 ERA and has allowed four home runs. In his most recent start at home, Walker didn't make it out of the first inning after facing 10 batters and allowing six runs (five earned). Also, Walker has had some trouble against the Rangers this year. He last started against them in June, allowing six earned runs over five innings pitched. That was also a Rangers lineup without Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran, who have made it even more formidable since the trade deadline.

Friday

Jimmy Nelson vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Nelson enters his start on Friday struggling as of late. Since the beginning of August, Nelson has started seven games, going 1-4 with a 7.83 ERA. He's struggled especially on the road, as he's allowed six earned runs in three of his four road starts during that span as well. Nelson has had moderate success against the Cardinals this year, coming in with two no decisions and an ERA around 4.00, but they enter this week on a tear offensively. They've tied a national league record of 25 consecutive games with a home run (Padres 2016), and over the last 30 days have the most home runs and highest slugging percentage of any team in the majors. Look for the Cardinals to exploit Jimmy Nelson at Busch Stadium on Friday, as he enters the game with a 5.94 ERA away from Milwaukee this season.

Saturday

Christian Friedrich vs. Colorado Rockies

Friedrich will start at home on Friday against the Rockies, where he's had very little success so far this season. At Petco Park this season, Friedrich has a 5.48 ERA and has allowed a .284 batting average to opposing hitters. After having a solid month of May, teams figured out Friedrich quickly and ever since his first start in June, he's posted a 5.60 ERA. Friedrich has faced Colorado once this season, going six scoreless innings, but the Rockies have hit left handed pitching exceptionally well this season. The Rockies have the fifth best OPS against lefties in the majors, sitting at .788 for the year. This matchup seems to favor the Rockies, so don't hesitate to throw a few of their players in your lineup Saturday night.

Sunday

Jose Berrios vs. Cleveland Indians

This is the most obvious choice of the weekend, as Berrios has had a pretty awful rookie season thus far. He will enter Sunday's home game with a 9.21 ERA on the year, but has pitched even worse in Minnesota, sitting on a 9.86 ERA at Target Field this year. In starts at home, Berrios has allowed an opponent batting average of .381 and an OPS of 1.074. In his lone start at home against the Indians, Berrios allowed five earned runs over just four innings. Berrios really struggles going deep into games, as he's gone six innings just once this year. This bodes well for the Tribe as well, as the Twins have the fifth worst bullpen ERA in the majors. The Indians have uncharacteristically struggled against the Twins this year, but have won their last four against Minnesota, and they know that in order to maintain their division lead, they can't lose to the worse team in their division in September. I expect them to put up plenty of crooked numbers on Sunday.